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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
National
Andrew Bardsley

Incredibly moving moment teen signs Jingle Bells for her disabled little brother

Enjoying Christmas songs is something most of us take for granted.

But for three-year-old Christian, who suffers from cerebral palsy and is also visually impaired, it makes Christmas even more special.

With the help of his sister Jade Kilduff, Christian has been able to follow his favourite Christmas classics.

Communication is difficult for Christian, so Jade has been using sign language so he can understand the lyrics to festive tracks.

The look of sheer joy on Christian's face in this adorable video shows just how much he loves being a part of the Christmas spirit.

Christian has cerebral palsy and is visually impaired, both caused by a brain injury (Diana Kilduff)

"It is amazing, he loves it," said Jade, 18, from Heywood.

"When we are singing he is able to understand the lyrics. We want to make Christmas more inclusive."

It is part of a wider campaign Jade has launched to increase the use of sign language for people who need it, just like Christian.

To speak to Jade and the rest of his family, Christian uses Makaton, a form of sign language for children which is used across the globe.

She acted because she didn't want Christian to feel left out of conversations.

Jade has set up an online channel where she teaches people how to sign different words.

Jade often has to communicate with her brother when other people don't know how to (Diana Kilduff)

The page has received a festive twist recently, as during December she has performed a different Christmas song every day for Christian.

"Every single day we have been doing a different song in sign language, doing an advent calendar," she said.

"We are trying to teach it through social media to show how people can do different songs."

As well as Jingle Bells, one of Christian's favourites is Mariah Carey's 'All I Want for Christmas Is You'.

He also loves Lewis Capaldi, when he has had his fill of Christmas songs.

It is great fun for the siblings to be able to interact with each other, but there is also a serious message.

The siblings' Facebook page has more than 8,600 likes (Diana Kilduff)

Jade started a petition calling on the government to make teaching basic signing, such as Makaton, compulsory in all schools.

She hopes her videos will raise awareness and help more people to learn sign language in the future.

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